Five Takeaways: Second Half surge leads Pella past Oskaloosa

<p>KNOXVILLE - The gym inside Knoxville High School was rocking for a chance for two Little Hawkeye Conference foes to book their ticket to Wells Fargo. </p> <p>Oskaloosa held an advantage for most of the first half and parts of the second half, but Pella used a big 24-2 run starting midway through the 3rd quarter to race past the Indians and clinch their spot in the 3A State Quarterfinals. </p> <p>The Player of the Game for the Dutch was senior point guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/logan-shetterly/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/logan-shetterly/">Logan Shetterly</a></a>. The Central Dutch football recruit was hot to start out as he hit two LONG 3-pointers in the first quarter. Shetterly went quiet for a bit, and then exploded once again and finished the game with a game-high 29 points in the win. </p> <p>Oskaloosa was led by Iowa State recruit and 4-star center <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/xavier-foster/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/xavier-foster/">Xavier Foster</a></a>, who ended up with 24 points and 13 rebounds in his final high school game. </p> <p>Senior Treyton Sturgeon was the other double-figure scorer for the Dutch as he chipped in 13 points in the victory. </p> <p>Let's look at some takeaways from Pella's win. </p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/logan-shetterly/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/logan-shetterly/">Logan Shetterly</a></a> took over </strong></p> <p>From the opening jump, it looked like it was going to be a good night for the Pella senior point guard. Shetterly was all over the place on both sides of the floor, and got things going early on the offensive end. On a night where a lot wasn't falling for senior sharpshooter John Oltman, Shetterly was 4-of-7 from 3 including two big triples in the second half to help buffer the Dutch lead. </p> <p>Shetterly also had one play where he missed a tough fast-break layup, stayed on the ground for a bit, and snuck behind Foster who was dribbling the ball up the court leisurely and took it away from the 7-footer to get possession again. Oskaloosa did not have an answer for Shetterly, and he'll need to continue that level of play if the Dutch want to win against a competitive 3A bracket. </p> <p><strong>Heck of a career for <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/xavier-foster/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/xavier-foster/">Xavier Foster</a></a> </strong></p> <p>The Oskaloosa big man and 4-star recruit will go down as one of the best high school basketball players in state history. His ability to move at 7-foot and score as efficiently as he can make him such a weapon at the next level. Foster will need to add on more strength once he gets to Ames, but his skill set and athletic ability is Big 12 ready. </p> <p>Foster had been held out for about half of the year due to sickness and other health issues. Had he not been out for so long, the Indians would probably have had a better overall record and been a much better team come playoff time. </p> <p>Iowa High School Basketball will surely miss Foster, but it's good to see his talents staying in-state. </p> <p><strong>If Pella plays like it did in the 3rd and 4th quarter all game, lookout </strong></p> <p>During the stretch where the Dutch went on a 24-2 run, it looked like they were playing 5-on-0 because Oskaloosa looked helpless. That's not a knock on the Indians, but Pella was so good during that frame. </p> <p>Pella turned up the pressure, and Osky did not have an answer for it. One of the Indians' struggles this year has been in the turnover department. In the first half, Pella was letting the Osky guards be comfortable and run their stuff without much pressure up top. Once Pella picked up the pressure, then Oskaloosa started to a panic a little bit and all the momentum started to turn toward the Dutch. </p> <p>If Pella plays like it did in those 12-14 minutes for 32 minutes, it's going to be one tough team to beat. </p> <p><strong>Sturgeon and Oltmann will be key for the Dutch </strong></p> <p>Shetterly will be recognized for Pella's win on Monday, but the key to this group's success are two other senior starters in Treyton Sturgeon and Josh Oltman. </p> <p>Sturgeon finished with 13 points, but it was a quiet 13 points. A lot of his efforts came in other areas with his 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists, and going 7-of-10 from the free throw line. </p> <p>Oltman had 6 points, but was 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. He got a number of good looks, but they just weren't going down for him. </p> <p>Shetterly is the leading scorer and heart and soul of this team, but what makes Pella so good is that Sturgeon and Oltman can also hurt you in a number of ways with their production. That'll be key in Des Moines. </p> <p><strong>Intriguing Prospect: <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/parker-elder/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/parker-elder/">Parker Elder</a></a> (2022)</strong></p> <p>The Pella sophomore played sparingly but gave some good energy coming off the bench. </p> <p>Elder is listed at 6-foot-4 and has a very skinny frame. He's developed a lot over the course of the past year, and is still putting the pieces together. </p> <p>Elder is a good athlete with some bounce to him. He can guard multiple positions with his length and did a fine job of guarding Foster at times in the post. </p> <p>If Elder can refine his offensive game, he could be a small college gem. The athleticism and size are there. </p>